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[Transcriber Note: Extensive research did not discover a U.S. copyright renewal.]

[Illustration: Grim faced men came running to help still the holocaust ]

Contents

I SPINDRIFT

II ASSIGNMENT: ROCKET BASE

III LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

IV SCARLET LAKE

V PROJECT PEGASUS

VI SIGN OF THE EARTHMAN

VII CARELESS MESA

VIII PROJECT ORION

IX GHOST TOWN CLUE

X STRANDED IN STEAMBOAT

XI DEADROCK OGG, MAYOR

XII SERVOMOTORS MISSING

XIII FLY THE WINGED HORSE!

XIV CHECK PILOT

XV THE OPEN HATCHWAY

XVI THE BOARD SHOWS GREEN

XVII WEIGHT, ONE TON

XVIII OUT OF CONTROL!

XIX THE UNYIELDING GROUND

XX THE EARTHMAN

List of Illustrations

Grim faced men came running to help still the holocaust

Etched on the bar was a puzzling inscription

A bullet whined off the top of the rock pile, and then there was silence

"What are you doing here?" the man demanded

Rick hung in the air, as though suspended by some weird magic

CHAPTER I

Spindrift

Rick Brant released the sling pouch with his left hand and let it drop smoothly to the end of its double string. The sling swung through a complicated arc, out to its full length, down again behind his back, then, with rapidly increasing speed, over his right shoulder. With a final whip he swung the pouch forward and released the free end of the string at precisely the right moment.

The rock left the pouch at astonishing speed, whistling as it traveled out to sea. Over fifty yards from shore it slapped into the water only a few feet from a bottle that bobbed there as a target.

Don Scott, nicknamed Scotty, nodded his approval. "Okay, David. Another hour of practice and you can go hunting Goliath."

Rick grinned. "I'm getting the hang of it," he admitted. "Let's see you heave another one out there."

The boys had collected a pile of assorted water polished stones from the beach near Pirate's Field, and brought them to the front of the big Brant house facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Scotty selected one of the larger ones, then checked his sling. The sling was simplicity itself. Two pieces of strong cord were connected to each side of the pouch, made of heavy canvas about four inches long and three wide. One string ended in a loop, which Scotty slipped over his right forefinger. The other string ended in a large knot, which Scotty held between his forefinger and thumb.

Scotty placed the stone in the pouch and gripped it in his left hand, holding the stone in place with thumb and forefinger. He took throwing position, left hand holding the pouch slightly lower than shoulder height while his right held the strings in the center of his body just above his belt buckle.

He released the pouch and put his solid weight into the throw.

Rick's lips pursed in a silent whistle. The stone sang shrilly as it flew up, up, up and far out. Then the trajectory dropped off rapidly and it fell into the sea.

"Bless Bess!" Rick exclaimed. "Three hundred yards if it was an inch!"

Even Scotty looked a little surprised. "I'm going to quit while I'm ahead," he announced.

Barbara Brant, a slim, pretty, blond girl a year Rick's junior, hailed them from the porch, then ran down and joined them. "Hi! What are you two doing?"

"Scotty just won the rock throwing championship of the East Coast," Rick told her.

Barby looked surprised. "He did? I thought you were waiting for Dr. Gordon?"

"We are, but we decided to try out Scotty's new sling while we were waiting."

The boys, and in fact the entire scientific staff of Spindrift Island, had been in a state of excitement for the past few days because of a telegram received from Dr... Continue reading book >>